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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52804	A compleat and compendious church-history shewing how it hath been from the beginning of the world to this present day : being an historical-narrative how the power and providence of God, according to his promise, hath hitherto confounded all the damnable plots of the Devil : to which is annexed a Scripture-prophecy fore-shewing how it shall be hence to the end of the world : to whole containing the quintessence of sacred, civil and ecclesiastick-writers, and serving as a short comment upon all the books in the Bible, both historical and prophetical / published for publick good by Christopher Ness ...	Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705.	1680 (1680)	Wing N446; ESTC R37720	248,071	530

Saints and Convey a Blessing to both and then the Lord shall Bless saying Blessed be Aegypt my People a New and Honourable Title to them and Assyria the Work of my Hands as Created anew in Christ Eph. 2. 10. and Israel my Inheritance Isa 19. 23 25. Thus we see Gods Care of his Church in Babylon and in Aegypt too Defeating all the Devils Designs which were to Destroy it every where as well as any-where Now let us view the same Divine Care and Kindness to his Church when Removed to Persia at the Destruction of Babylon out of which she Fled Isa 48. 23. and 52. 11. and Jer. 50. 8. and 51. 6 45. Zech. 2. 6. Revel 18. 4. For it was Devoted to Destruction by Darius the Persian God had Reserv'd an Holy Remnant for Royal Use even in Persia for not half of the Jews Returned to Jerusalem at Cyrus Proclamation whatever Josephus saith to the Contrary who makes the Returners to be above Four Millions whereas Ezra makes them onely Forty and two Thousand Ezra 2. 64. Ten or Twelve Thousand whereof might probably be of the Ten Tribes that were first carryed Captive who together with Benjamin and Judah make up the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Twelve Tribes which the Apostle speaks of Act. 26. 7. Instantly Serving God Night and Day Hoping to come to Heaven which plainly Intimates how God carefully keeps his Covenant in preserving his Church among them Now I say this People having lived a long season safely in a Fat though a Forraign Countrey there they had lived in Peace enjoy'd their Religion gathered Riches and had Favourites at Court so were loth to trouble themselves with removing into their own Countrey where they were sure to meet with much opposition and many Enemies the Samaritans and others Hereupon many of them remained in Babylonia and Persia as before yet God Delivers them not over to the Devil to do what he would with them but Defeats his Design even there also As the Devil had his Wicked Haman to contrive the Churches Destruction in Persia so God had his Holy Mordecai there for her preservation before whom Haman Fails and the Devils Plot in him Now come we to the most Eminent Evidence and most pregnant Proof of Divine Providence in Preserving the Church of God against the Devils most powerful Plot Recorded in Scripture And in discoursing upon it I shall not meddle with the Timeing of it which some Critical observers of Chronology do place betwixt Cyrus and Darius's Decrees for re-Building the Temple but shall take it as it is placed in Canonical Scripture the very last Book that Describes the History of the Church in the Old Testament to wit the Book of Esther wherein though the Name God be not found yet most Eminently the Hand of God is found there in Capital Characters And herein Observe Two Principal parts 1. The Churches Danger and 2. The Churches Deliverance both exceedingly Eminent even in Shushan the Head-City of Persia wherein God had a great People reserved and preserved there and scatter'd about in many other places as will appear by the Sequel First The Churches Danger in it Three particulars are observable 1. The Occasion of the Danger to wit Holy Mordecai's refusal of Bowing the knee to proud Haman that cursed Amalekite a deadly Enemy of the Church and the Kings great Favourite both before he had obtained the Royal Decree against the Church and afterwards also 2ly The Persons who were in this Eminent Danger to wit not Mordecai alone for he thought him alone too mean a Sacrifice below his Revengeful Rage but also all the Godly Jews every-where Dispersed Esth 3. 6. and 3ly The Danger it self to wit not personal onely as that of Dan. 3. 20. and Dan. 6. 14. but an Universal and Utter Destruction maliciously Intended by a Decree obtained upon false Informations that the Jews did not keep the Kings Laws v. 8. Thus Haman cloak'd his private Malice with publique pretences Oh what a likely Tool had the Devil now got to Work the Churches Ruine withal to wit the Adversary and Enemy Wicked Haman Esth 7. 6. where he is painted in his proper Colours The Man-Adversary or Hebr. Satan the Church hath her Man-Adversary as well as Devil-Adversary a Man of might and a great Favourite at Court an Vtter Enemy a Sworn Sword-man of Satan that old Man-slayer from whom Haman had drawn this Antient Enmity Gen. 3. 15. and from cursed Amalek Exod. 17. 8. He is as pious Queen Esther Brands him our Angustiator or Oppressor and ready to do all Hostile Acts against us 'T is this Wicked Haman a Man of Mischief and the Worst of Mankind even Wickedness it self no better than a Breathing Devil so prodigiously and peerlesly profligate in his Plots and Projects against the Church Now the Devil begins his Plot by this sit Instrument as soon as he had set him alost upon the pinacle of highest Preferment and the King had commanded all his Courtiers to Bow to him Esth 3. 1 2. 1st In Hamans madness against Mordecai for his being so stiff in the Ham as not to bend to Great Prince Haman with the Cringing Courtiers at the Kings command ☞ That was enough for them right or wrong and so 't is in our Day with Herodians that will be of King Herod's or King Harry's Religion whatever it be many matters it not so it have a Royal Sanction it must be done though they themselves be Vndone for ever for so doing this Godly Mordecai could not do not onely because Haman was a cursed Amalekite whom God would have Israel not to Honour but to Destroy Exod. 17. 14. Deut. 25. 19. 1 Sam. 15. 3. but also because this kind of Bowing had a Divine Devotion in it due to God onely and not due to any mortal Man quite contrary to the Law of his God Deut. 6. 13. and 10. 20. Matth. 4. 9 10. Dan. 6. 13. It was not therefore a proud self-willedness that made Mordecai so stiff notwithstanding the Allurements and Affrightments of the Courtiers but Fear of Sin and Conscience of Duty and he would rather offend all the World than God and his own Conscience This enraged Haman to be sleighted by a Captive-Jew whom the Free-born Persians Honour'd and Adored Insomuch as he Swell'd like a Toad and Glowed like a Devil 1 in designing his Destruction and the rather because he was a Jew whom he Naturally Hated as Josephus saith seeing they had Antiently destroyed the Amalekites his Country-men Esth 3. 3 4 5. 2ly His Designing to cut off all his People as well as Mordecai it being below his haughty Heart and too narrow for his Revengeful Mind to be confined within the Compass of Killing one Captive-Slave onely but the Fire of his Rage will Burn up all the Jews that lay in his way v. 6. 1. In order hereunto he cast Lots to find a lucky day wherein to Accomplish his Wickedness which by an over-ruling

bestow a Dowry on his Sister Magdalen and so did his Cardinal to pay for his New-Pall both those Summs must be raised by Indulgences sent into Germany Tecelius a Dominican Fryar brings them to be sold saying His Commission was so large from the Pope that if a Man had Defloured the Blessed Virgin he could Pardon the Sin for Money yea he could Pardon all Sins to come as well as any that were past Indeed much what alike Luther's Godly Zeal takes Fire at those Popish-Cheats Inveighs against the Popes Pardons that his Huckster had brought He crys down after the Popes Supremacy and all his Popish Trash so Works in God a Wonderful Reformation The 4th Eminent Remark was that God should provide such a Protector as Frederick the Duke of Saxony to preserve poor persecuted Luther out of the Hands of Pope Leo the 10th and of the Emperor Charles the 5th whom the Pope provok'd against him sometimes in his Patmos as he call'd Wartenburg-Castle and sometimes Disputing with Cardinal Caietan and with those Devils in the Court at Worms yet was he kept secure by Gods good Providence till he had Fulfill'd his Ministry and Finish'd the Work his Father gave him to do Living to the Age of Sixty-Three then Dyed in his Climacterical Year Bequeathing his Detestation of Popery to his Friends and Followers with this Verse Pestis eram Vivus Moriens ero Mors tua Papa In English I Living stop'd Romes Breath In English And Dead will be Romes Death The 5th Marvelous Remark was That not One of those Three Angels forementioned to wit Waldus Wickliff and Luther should Dye a Violent Death Considering the Rage of Rome and Hell against them all That They should all Three Dye quietly in their Beds in the midst of their mortal Enemies to whom they all Three were so mischievous was little below a Miracle Well therefore are they Named More than Men even Angels Rev. 14. 6 8 9. Bloody Rome may Murder Men but cannot Angels Now when the Lord raised up Luther the 3d. Angel to thrust in his sharp Sickle into the Harvest of Reformation Revel 14. 14 15. and began to Reap Rome which was now ready Ripe to have the Seaven Vials of Gods Indignation powred down upon her for the Wine of her Fornication wherewith she had made so many Nations Drunk then Rome Raged with her Red Letter being prompted thereto by the Red Dragon insomuch that the Pope Roars against him as an Heretick with his Bull the Emperour stirr'd up by the Pope Wars against him as a Rebell with his Army and King Henry the 8th of England Writes against him with his Pen for which the Pope Dignifyed him with Defender of the Faith a Title which K. James better Deserved for Writing against the Pope Luther's Case having all the World the many as well as the Mighty against him seem'd now Desperate so that Cranzius said to him Go into thy Cell and cry Miserere Mei for thou art an Vndone Man Yet Behold His Work being of God he Weathers out the Point Spreads the Gospel into many Lands and comes safe to Shore and Dyes in peace as before after he had exceeded the 12 Labours of Hercules as Beza saith of him Rome tam'd the World the Pope tam'd Rome so great Rome Rul'd by Power the Pope by deep Deceit But how more large than theirs was Luther 's Fame Who with one Pen both Pope and Rome doth Tame Go Fictious Greece go tell Alcides then His Club is Nothing to Great Luther 's Pen. Observe again the Foot-steps of Providence following Luther The 1st Remark is the Miraculous Increase of the Gospel after this 3d Angel Revel 14. 9. we Read of another Angel v. 17. and of another Angel v. 18. and of Seven Angels too Revel 15. 1. such as Melancton Zuinglius Zanchy Beza Marlorat c and above all Calvin who at Twenty-Five Y. Old Writ his Institutions to Mall Rome withall of which Book this High Encomium is given Praeter Apostolic as post Christi tempora Chartas Huic peperere Libro Saecula nulla parem Since Christ and the Apostles time no such Book was ever Writ as Paulus Melissus long since Sang In a Word at that time the Lord Rais'd a whole Army of braye Heroick and Angelical Men or Angels as Melchior Adamus and Illyricus largely Demonstrate at least preparing to powr out the Seven Vials being the several parts of the Seventh Trumpet for the Fall of Babylon Revel 14. 8. and 15. 1. for in the 2d Angel's time Babylon began to Fall and some Countries did fall off from Rome but when the 3d. Angel came and with him an Army of many other Angels then was the Temple to wit the Church of Rome filled with Smoak Revel 15. 8. The Temple wherein the Man of Sin is said to sit 2 Thess 2. 4. is not now filled with a Cloud as Solomons Temple was 1 Kin. 8. 10. 2 Chron. 5. 13. and as Moses Tabernacle was Exod. 40. 34. but with Smoak which accompanies Consuming Fire that God is to Babylon Hebr. 12. last Revel 14. 11. Psal 18. 8. and 74. 1. Denoting how the Church of Rome shall be filled with Darkness and Confusion and consequently with the Wrath of God The 2d Memorable Remark is the prodigious Progress of the Gospel which came first from Jerusalem by the Apostles and so may well be called the Jerusalem-Artichoke a Plant that Over-runs the Ground wheresoever it is planted So was the Gospel carryed as on Angels Wings wonderfully over all the World at first by the Apostles and now again by the late Reformers as by those Three Angels aforesaid Waldus Wickliff and Luther our Wickliff Wrote more than Two Hundred Volums against the Pope before Luther was Born and Q. Ann Wife to our Richard the 2d and Sister to Wenceslaus K. of Bohemia by living here became acquainted with the Gospel yea many Bohemian Courtiers comming to the English Court convey'd Wickliff's Books into Bohemia whereby a Good Foundation was layd for a future Reformation After this John Hus and Jerom of Prague did so notably Propagate the Truth in that Kingdom that in the Y. 1451. the Church of Christ at Constantinople Congratulates the Happy Beginnings in the Vniversity of Prague and Exhorts them to perseverance in persecution which the raging Romanists soon rais'd against them though Q. Sophia who favour'd them had by her Mediation with the King procur'd a free Exercise of their Religion throughout the Realm and though the Popish Persecutors could say no more of them than this In their Lives they are Modest in their Love one to another Fervent and in their Speeches True but their Religion is stark Naught saith Jacobus Leilenstemus the Dominican and why is it so Naughty Reinerius another of their persecutors shall tell you 1. Because of so long Standing 2. because so far Spread and 3. for their appearance of Purity c. Alsted Chronol pag. 375. and Jacob. Revius de